Each year, a million-plus people make the exodus to Washington, DC’s Tidal Basin area to catch the cherry blossoms during their short blooming window. Because they flower at different times every year (roughly the last week of March to mid-April) and peak bloom only lasts a few days, visitors-in-the-know will time their arrival to coincide with the official Bloom Watch and the corresponding National Cherry Blossom Festival.
But the Tidal Basin is not the only place to see these beautiful trees. Springtime in the DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia) is utterly breathtaking with flowering trees lining the George Washington Memorial Parkway and trees of every fruit and perennials of every color all exploding at once.
This is a bucket list getaway to the Nation’s Capital. Here’s what you need to know about the history of the cherry trees, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and where else to see these iconic blooms in the region.
Jump To: History of the Cherry Trees | Cherry Blossom Tree Varieties | National Cherry Blossom Festival Details | Beyond the Tidal Basin | Off-the-Beaten-Path Spots
The history of DC’s cherry trees.
In 1885, globetrotter and travel writer Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore returned home to Washington, DC from an epic journey to Japan. She was utterly entranced by the culture. But one thing in particular captivated her—the flowering cherry trees with their delicate, pastel-hued blossoms. She would later write, “The blooming cherry tree is the most ideally, wonderfully beautiful tree that nature has to show, and its short-lived glory makes the enjoyment the keener and more poignant.”
She felt cherry trees would be perfect for the barren parkland that had just been reclaimed from the Potomac River’s mud flats. She presented her idea to the U.S. Army Superintendent in charge of the park and was promptly turned down – over and over for the next 24 years.
In 1908, Scidmore discovered a kindred spirit. David Fairchild was a doctor and U.S. Department of Agriculture official. He had successfully transplanted 100 Japanese cherry trees on his Chevy Chase, MD property and envisioned a “field of cherries” around the newly constructed Tidal Basin. Now Scidmore had an ally with power. She wrote a letter to First Lady Helen Taft with a plan to purchase trees for DC. After 24 enduring years, and now with Fairchild by her side, her proposal was approved in two days.
Mrs. Taft got to work. When famed Japanese chemist Jokichi Takamine learned of the cherry tree concept, he offered 2,000 trees as a symbol of international friendship. When the trees arrived in Washington, DC, however, they sadly had to be destroyed due to a parasitic infestation.
Yet, by now, everyone had a piece of their heart in the project. Takamine had the Mayor of Tokyo, Yukio Ozaki, send the United States 3,020 more trees, composed of a dozen varieties, as a symbol of Japanese-American friendship.
A modest groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 27, 1912, with Eliza Scidmore in attendance.
Today, there are more than 3,750 trees around the Tidal Basin and the canopy of pink and white continues to charm visitors to the National Capital Region.
In a full circle moment in 1991, a few grafts from the trees were gifted back to Japan. One of those trees sits adjacent to a monument in a crowded Yokohama cemetery. The monument reads: “A woman who loved Japanese cherry blossoms rests in peace here.”
The woman buried there is Eliza Scidmore.
Your guide to enjoying the region’s trees.
Twelve varieties of cherry trees made up the original gift of 3,020. The two most prevalent varieties in DC today are Yoshino and Kwanzan. The trees you see today were cultivated from the trees donated by Japan.
Here’s how to tell some of the most popular varieties of cherry blossom trees apart:
- Yoshino. The majority of the trees around the Tidal Basin. They produce single white blossoms in clusters of 2-5.
- Kwanzan. The second biggest variety around the Basin. They produce a pink colored double flower with around 30 petals in clusters of 2-5.
- Takesimensis. Characterized by large clusters of small white flowers with short stems.
- Akebono. These produce a single, pale pink flower in clusters of 2-5.
- Autumn Flowering. These showcase a double flower in pink.
- Weeping. This tree bears single pink flowers on long, weeping limbs.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival and events.
The first National Cherry Blossom Festival was held in late 1934. In 1935, it officially became a national annual event.
The three-week festival typically begins in mid-March, and signature events include a National Parade, a Pink Tie Party, a Blossom Kite Festival held adjacent to the Washington Monument, a Petalpalooza celebration with live music and fireworks, and the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival, which celebrates Japanese culture.
Find the full list of signature events during the National Cherry Blossom Festival here.
Throughout the length of the Festival, there are daily events, live performances, classes, sake tastings, art exhibits and more that kick off the springtime celebration in the DC area. Plus, be on the lookout for special cherry-themed menu items, cherry blossom-inspired merchandise, and storefront decorations welcoming in the resurgence of life.
Plus, don't forget to seek out the Japanese Stone Lantern at the Tidal Basin. Each year, this carved lantern, which dates back 400 years, is lit by the Cherry Blossom Princess to kick off the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Its mate lantern can be found within a temple in Tokyo.
National Cherry Blossom Festival events in Northern Virginia.
But wait, there’s more! Each year, Fairfax County coordinates with the festival to take the celebration “Beyond the Basin.”
The self-guided Glorious Gardens Tour offers a spectacular look at Fairfax County’s premier parks and gardens, from the tulip-lined meadows at River Farm, the headquarters for the American Horticultural Society, to the weeping cherry trees at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens and the demonstration gardens at Green Spring Gardens.
Additionally, various sites and attractions host events that celebrate the blossoms and Japanese culture throughout the March and April months.
You can find a list of those events right here.
More intimate spaces to walk amongst the Cherry Trees
Don’t sleep on these other Fairfax County sites that have stunning cherry blossom trees in less crowded avenues.
- Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. Walk amongst the weeping cherries reflecting in the water surrounding Lake Caroline and find nearly 100 other cherry trees made up of over 20 unique varieties in the park. This meticulously maintained (and wheelchair accessible) 95-acre property is also home to countless daffodils, tulips, irises and flowering plants as well as the Western Hemisphere’s only public Korean Bell Garden.
- River Farm. Once a part of George Washington’s estate, River Farm is the headquarters of the American Horticultural Society. There’s a charming grove of cherry trees near the front gate, beyond which you’ll find four acres of meadow and flowers.
- Van Gogh Bridge at Lake Anne. Cherry trees dotting the edge of a picturesque, arched footbridge over the water—Van Gogh Bridge is true to its name. Located on the Green Trail at Lake Anne, it’s a sight worthy of photographers, painters, poets and lovers. Plus, Lake Anne is home to a wonderful community of local businesses.
- Pick Your Neighborhood. From Green Spring Gardens to Frying Pan Farm Park and all the Northern Virginia neighborhoods in between, you’ll find cherry trees everywhere you look, usually alongside redbuds, crabapple trees, Bradford pears and other spring bloomers.
No matter if you make it for a visit during the peak bloom of the Cherry Blossoms or not, springtime in Fairfax County and Washington, DC is utterly spectacular. The region has a lot of public parkland filled with trees of every sort. And, as a bonus, the Virginia Bluebells come out to play around the same time, carpeting landscapes as far as the eye can see.
It’s a springtime adventure you’ll never forget. Use our planning tools, find hotel packages, and plan this bucket list getaway today.
